Johnny Tremain is a work of fiction by Esther Forbes. The story is about a young boy who is twelve years. His name is Johnny Tremain. Johnny was fascinated by silver ever since he was a young boy, and when his mother died, she gave him to a silversmith to learn the trade. The man she gave him to was named Mr. Lapham. Mr. Lapham lived with his wife Ms. Lapham, and his four daughters Madge, Dorcas, Cilla and Isannah. They also had two other apprentices besides Johnny. Their names were Dove and Dusty. And all of them lived in Boston, Massachusetts.

Over the course of his years with the Laphams, Johnny was known as the one who could always be relied on for almost anything, and be able to make the best silver, unlike his two co-apprentices who were clumsy and disliked by the household.

One day John Hancock, one of the wealthiest men in Boston came into place an order.

Johnny

Johnny Tremain

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And Mr. Lapham being an old lazy man whose silversmith skills had left him years before almost did not except the order until Johnny said that he would do it. Johnny felt a responsibility to help Mr. Lapham considering how much the project would make the family. Mr. Hancock wanted a silver basin constructed to the finest detail. Johnny worked endless hours on it, and finally as Sunday came around Johnny realized that Mr. Lapham would not let him work on it during the Sabbath. But Ms. Lapham saw the importance of it and encouraged him to complete it anyway. When Sunday came around and Mr. Lapham was off a Church Ms. Lapham, Dove, Dusty and the rest of the household help Johnny prepare the basin. When it came time to pour the silver Dove was asked to get Johnny a crucible to hold the hot silver. But in order to get back at Johnny for all of the mean things he had done to him, Dove gave him a cracked one looking to ruin all of Johnny's hard work. But while Johnny poured the hot silver into the crucible it cracked spilling the hot silver all over the furnace and consequently Johnny fell into it with his right hand coating it completely in silver.

After this happened Johnny's life as a great silversmith suddenly vanished. He was now a boy without the use of his right hand, which narrowed his choices for things to do by a lot. After spending a few months searching for work he finally comes across a boy named Rab who works at a Patriot newspaper. Johnny becomes very interested and begins working with him. While at the paper Johnny becomes caught up in the fight for independence and begins working for it. He becomes very close with the movement and when action was called for he was there to do it. Finally in the end, Johnny fights in the war and realizes that life is very valuable and that even though he might not have a good hand (which later does heal) life still is worth living if you believe in something.

I believe that young people today do not face the same choices that he did, mainly because of modern medicine and the choices that are open to people with disabilities. Also most kids do not go off to work like he did at his age, and therefore have a lot more life experience than he did. The methods of dealing with this sort of thing have changed dramatically like I just said mainly in the field of modern medicine and the possibilities open to people with disabilities.

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